Review of Bear With Me by Jessica Redland

Jemma has the job of her dreams as curator for the children’s section of a museum in London. She spends each day surrounded by the one thing she’s absolutely passionate about: teddy bears. When boyfriend, Scott, shows a genuine interest in her passion instead of laughing at her for “playing with teddies all day”, she knows he’s a keeper.

Returning home to the North Yorkshire seaside town of Whitsborough Bay to celebrate her birthday, Jemma thinks she’s heading for her happy-ever-after when Scott unexpectedly proposes. So, a few days later, why isn’t he retuning her calls or responding to her texts?

Julie has always been a wonderful single mother to Jemma and her little brother, Sean. As owner of specialist teddy bear shop, Bear With Me, and the creative genius behind the successful range of Ju-Sea Bears, she inspires Jemma with her ability to balance a demanding career with home life. So why is the shop now in disarray and why is Sean so upset?

Sam thought he had his future all worked out. With a promising neurology career, a home, and a devoted fiancée, life was looking good. But now he’s all alone in a strange city, far from everyone and everything he cares about, struggling to rebuild the tatters of his life. Did he do the right thing by running away? What does the future hold and is he strong enough to face it?

Sometimes love finds us when we least expect it. But sometimes love leaves us, just as unexpectedly. When you’ve loved and lost, can you bear to let love in again?

Bear With Me, as all will be revealed …

Available on Amazon and through Kindle Unlimited.

Oh Jessica, I do adore your stories.

I had all intentions of savouring this story as I have to wait for her next release, but I started reading on a Friday morning and finished by the Saturday afternoon. I was just too engrossed in the story to put it down. 

We’ve heard about Jemma and the “Bear With Me” store on Whitsborough Bay’s Castle Street and this time we spend the story surrounded by the cute bears and Jemma’s dramas. 

I always enjoy Jessica’s stories because they’re not ‘just’ a romance. They’re about our heroines coming to terms with what’s going on in their lives and how they need to change to cope and survive. Jemma has to do just that as secrets about her fiancé come out and as her family’s needs demand her attention.  I don’t think Jemma always makes the best decisions, but aren’t we all flawed somehow? 

This story is a bit different from the author’s norm in that it utilizes dual points of view. We get chapters told from Jemma’s perspective and then chapters told from Sam’s. Some of Sam’s chapters are simply heart-breaking but so sweetly written. I couldn’t help but fall a little in love with him and anticipate his well-deserved happy ending. 

Perhaps there are a couple of convenient coincidences and too-neat twists but I don’t mind and find they simply make the story sweeter. 

Jessica finds delightful and natural ways to create cameos for Whitsborough Bay characters from other books. It’s just the right touch to remind regular readers of characters we love and does not take away from the current story. 

Overall, I fully engaged with this tale of struggle and love and now have to “bear with Jessica” until she releases another Whitsborough story! 

I give this book 4.5/5 beary cute espresso shots.

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